The real thing
by Margarine Fly
Summary: Carol calls in Tony to help solve a murdercase...


**RATING:** PG/M for disturbing imagery and some swearing, as Carol is known to do sometimes :p

**DISCLAIMER:** All characters belong to Val McDermid… I'm just using them for my own, and hopefully your, entertainment.

**NOTES:** This is my first attempt at fanfiction. I hope I kept them in character. Please read and review… ow, and English is not my first language so please report all grammatical errors so I can deal with them :-)

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It's a chilly morning and Tony takes his left hand of the steering wheel to elevate his car radiator. It's still early but the freeway is already jamming up. Tony doesn't mind however. It gives him an opportunity to study the other drivers, a habit derived from his profession as a psychologist.

Suddenly his silent observation gets brutally disturbed by the sound of his celphone going off. His hand reaches for the passenger seat where his mobile is screaming for attention.

"Tony" he speaks.

"Tony, it's Carol."

He places the telephone between his ear and shoulder as he reaches to kill off the radio.

"We have a body", the feminine voice continues.

"Is it Kerry?", Tony asks her.

_- Carol had called in his help yesterday to help solve a disappearance. The victim went by the name of David Kerry, who owned a little tavern in Stockbridge. A customer who dropped into the cafe found the place deserted with bloodstains running out the backdoor and into the parking lot. And even though Stockbridge fell outside the jurisdiction of Bradfield police, DI Carol Jordan and her team were put on the case. _

_Later, they found tire tracks which turned out to belong to a pickup truck and DC McIntyre spent the rest of the day interrogating possible eye-witnesses. As DS Merrick and DS Geoffries were occupied with a case in Bradfield, Carol felt like calling in Tony's help as she was seriously lacking people in the field… _

_When he arrived to the crime-scene she informed him about the incident and they both knew that if they found Kerry within 24 hours, there might be a chance that he would still be alive.- _That was 30 hours ago…

"He matches the description", Carol replies, a tinge of regret present in her voice. "but the autopsy will give a definite answer."

"Right", Tony comments. "I'm on my way… I'll be there in about 20 minutes."

He breaks off contact and doesn't feel like putting the radio back on. Silently he watches the traffic jam break up and 25 minutes later he arrives at Bradfield Police station, where Carol is waiting for him.

- - -

Tony holds open the door to the morgue where Jason is busy doing his first autopsy of the day.

"Right Jason… what do we have?", Carol sighs.

" It seems like the body has been dead for about 25 hours.", the pathologist states. "He is teaming with small immature maggots, as you can see here", he points at the victim's neck, face and a large number of wounds.

At first glance, it looks like it is only sand from the scene, but upon closer inspection, the sand is very much alive and moving.

Carol glances to her right and sees Tony twitch his mouth and curl up his nose at Jason's' statement. A hint of a smile appears around her lips.

She has watched Tony look and reason with murderers and rapists without a hint of emotion on his face but at the mention of vermin it seemed impossible for him to restrain his facial expression.

She turns her attention back to Jason as he continues talking.

"The number and positions of stabs were fatal, and it seems that there are two different types of stab wounds."

"Two types of stab wounds?", Tony asks surprised?

Jason nods. "Yes, these longer wounds are consistent with a dagger blade, but then there are smaller ones… almost like puncture holes." He points at some random spots spread out around the body.

"What weapon could bring on those smaller marks?", Tony asks.

"I'm not sure", Jason answers.

"Could it be from the tip of the same knife?", Carol suggests.

Tony watches her as she props up an elbow and brings her fingers to touch her chin.

'She always does that when she's bringing on a theory', Tony ponders silently. He feels content that he's been around Carol long enough to notice little things like these.

Her questioning look, one eyebrow raised, brings him back to the conversation.

"It might!", he states. "It's possible that the undeep penetrations are just out of sloppiness but still I wouldn't rule out a second murder weapon."

Carol nods her agreement.

"So if there are two weapons, there could also be two killers?" She thinks aloud.

"Right", she turns to Jason. "Will you wrap up in here and send me the full autopsy report this afternoon?"

"Sure, no problem", he replies as he grabs his scalpel and pushes the 'record'-button on his dictaphone which will tape every comment Jason makes as a Y-incision will reveal all that's hidden behind the severely damaged chest of the victim.

As soon as the pathologist gets hold of the scalpel, Tony escapes the room as fast as he can, abandoning his courtesy in the process which makes Carol collide with the door.

"I assume I shouldn't take that personal?" Carol dryly says to Tony as she opens the door and comes out after him.

He turns around to face her. "I'm sorry Carol, it's just that this coroner business isn't really my thing."

"So it seems", she smiles while tugging once at his right arm to motion him he should follow her. "I'll buy you coffee to shake it off", she offers.

It was as good an excuse as any so he agreed.

- - - - - - - - - -

TO BE CONTINUED…

Please Read & Review… What's good? what should I do better? … this is my first fic so all pointers will gladly be taken into account! ;-)


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